


The First Knight’s Plight

by BabyStepsAreStillSteps



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur is a mess, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Magic Revealed, but so is Leon, but they're trying their best, everyone is really, like the disasters they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28566042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyStepsAreStillSteps/pseuds/BabyStepsAreStillSteps
Summary: Leon had known there was magic in the castle for years.He may be the First Knight, but he certainly wasn’t going to turn in the person making his job of protecting the ruler of Cameloteasier.Leon had turned a blind eye for years. He had misdirected others who got too close to the truth, and covered any and all traces he found, all for the continued protection of the then prince, now king, Arthur.One day, magic was used to save the king once again, but this time it was used in plain sight, in front of the whole court.The fact that magic saved his king didn’t surprise Leon in the slightest, but the fact that it came fromMerlinvery much did.What were the odds that both ArthurandMerlin had magic?
Relationships: Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Knights & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Leon & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 225





	The First Knight’s Plight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Summer_Meadows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summer_Meadows/gifts).



> Hi, everyone! The idea for this story actually came from my little sister, Summer_Meadows, but because she is a spoiled brat, she has somehow convinced _me_ to write it for _her_ instead of _her_ writing it for _me_ like she was supposed to. Little sisters, man... just because they're cute, they get away with everything. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!  
>   
> 

An assassin had somehow made it past the guards and into the throne room where Arthur had gathered all of his Lords and Ladies to give them the annual update on the aide they could expect in the coming winter.

A few years ago, the situation would have been almost expected, as something similar tended to happen at almost every court gathering, but in the recent years the attempts had lessened. Arthur was a much more caring leader than his predecessor, and on the whole, his people loved him, particularly when compared to his father's method of ruling.

Assassination attempts still happened on occasion, though, such as the current crisis unfolding before Leon's eyes.

The assassin had burst through the crowd of nobles, interrupting Arthur's proclamation with a loud battle cry, surprising Arthur into silence as he looked toward the source of the sound.

Leon immediately connected what was about to happen and started to run toward Arthur, distantly noticing the guards and knights of the round table doing the same, but none of them would make it in time.

The man raised a knife, drawing it back with a vindictive triumph, and released it, sending it flying almost faster than the eye could see toward Arthur's head.

Arthur began to duck, but even he would be too slow to stop it, and with a horrifying certainty, Leon knew what was going to happen next.

He had dreaded this day for more than a decade.

When King Uther had died, Leon was ashamed to admit he had felt a small tendril of relief that the king had passed without ever learning Arthur's secret. Leon had - mistakenly- believed that perhaps the need for worry over the reveal of Arthur's most illegal talent had passed. With Arthur king, perhaps he would slowly roll back the penalties for magic users until magic was eventually free once again.

Leon had been dumbfounded when Arthur's rule continued in the same vein as Uther's, though thankfully less strict and terror-based. Leon had been so sure that once Arthur no longer had to justify himself to his father, he would make the changes he needed to so that he could stop worrying his First Knight into an early grave.

But no, no, that would have made Leon's life much too easy. Couldn't have that.

No, Arthur had ruled for almost five years and done _nothing_ to rectify his situation, so instead, he would be forced to reveal himself in front of the entire court.

Sometimes Leon suspected that his king put him through this completely unnecessary level of stress for the sole reason of making his First Knight's life difficult, but he couldn't actually _prove_ such a claim. Moments like the current made him reconsider his case, though.

Even as he sprinted toward his king and friend, he let out a despairing sigh when, indeed, just as Leon had suspected it would, the knife froze in midair directly in front of Arthur's face, hovering for a moment before dropping to the ground with a resounding clatter.

Leon forced himself to drag his gaze up to his king's face, trying to decide if he could pass the gold he would find in his eyes off as the glint of light or some other such nonsense. Perhaps Arthur had been smart enough to close his eyes.

Leon stared at his king's face, and for a long moment he didn't understand what he saw.

Arthur's eyes... Arthur's eyes weren't gold, they had remained blue the entire time. But... But then, how -?

In his shock, Leon's eyes slid automatically past Arthur's shoulder to the manservant with golden eyes that stood behind him, arm raised defensively that dropped to his side as his eyes faded back to their usual blue.

_Oh_ , Leon realized with blinding clarity, they were _both_ sorcerers.

Leon desperately cast his mind around for a way to salvage the situation. Perhaps they could accuse the assassin of obtaining faulty magical weapons? If everyone's attention had been on Arthur, then it was conceivable that no one had seen Mer-

"You!" Arthur accused, looking at Merlin with growing anger and hurt on his face as he turned just in time to watch the last of the gold fade from his servant's eyes. "You did _magic_?"

Leon couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He stepped forward, raising his hands placatingly, and hoping to stall Arthur for long enough that his surprised brain caught up to why it wasn't a good idea to announce to the court that someone had done magic.

“We don’t know that’s what happened,” Leon said pointedly to Arthur, who gaped back at him.

“Yes, we do!” Arthur insisted, voice growing louder in his anger.

"No, we don't," Leon refuted firmly, gesturing for two of the nearby guards to take the stunned assassin to the dungeons.

He nodded his approval when they immediately complied, and turned his attention back to his king.

"Yes," Arthur repeated, face reddening as his expression darkened, "we do!"

“Sire, is that fair?" Leon asked, voice sharp and scolding. " _You_ are going to blindly accuse someone of sorcery?”

“... Yes?” Arthur answered after a delay, so deeply confused that it cooled his anger slightly, “and it isn’t just accusing? He _did_ magic, in front of _everyone_.”

“ _You_ are going to pass judgment without even _trying_ to investigate the other possibilities?” Leon demanded, outraged.

Arthur looked nonplussed, but nodded.

"I just thought _you_ might be more sympathetic to his situation,” Leon said pointedly, urging Arthur to understand the message under his words.

Arthur stared back blankly.

“What?” he asked, baffled. “What point are you trying to make, Leon?”

Leon’s mouth fell open in disbelief before he snapped it shut again.

“I’d rather not say,” he said, unable to keep the note of haughty disapproval out of his voice.

“Leon, spit it out!” Arthur commanded.

“No thank you, sire,” Leon declined politely.

“Leon!" Arthur scowled, face growing angrier by the second. "As your king, I am _ordering_ you to speak your mind!”

Leon stepped forward with a hard look on his eyes, leaning closer to Arthur before he continued.

"I've covered for you for years, my lord," Leon said in a pointed undertone, " _why_ are you asking me to say this in front of _your entire court_ , sire?"

"You've _covered_ for me?" Arthur asked, distracted by the crisis at hand by his complete and utter bewilderment. "What do you mean you've covered for me?"

"How could you not know?" Leon asked, dumbfounded. "My lord, you think it is a coincidence that after we have ridden out time and time again after a beast that can only be killed with magic and returned victorious that I just, what? _Forgot_ that Gaius announced to the entire court that the beast in question could only be killed by magic?"

"What?" Arthur gaped at him. "What beasts are you speaking of?"

Leon's mouth fell open in shock before his expression hardened slightly as the annoyance he couldn't completely cover slipped into his tone. _Honestly_. Apparently what Leon had thought was an understood, but silent, truce was actually his king taking him for a complete and utter _fool_.

"The Questing Beast, the dragon, the lamia, the Griffin, the wraith, stopping an _immortal_ army," Leon said, listing them off on his fingers, growing more aggravated with each addition as he remembered just how _obvious_ it had been that Arthur had used magic and how his king apparently thought Leon had been none the wiser.

"Sire, you are a great king and an awe inspiring warrior, but you are actually incapable of being subtle if your life depended on it!” Leon told him, completely forgetting to make any attempt at regulate his volume. “I mean, with all due respect, sire, did you think _at all_ before you did magic in front of the entire court to make the snakes leave Valliant’s shield before he called them?

I know it was dire, and he had you to straights, sire, but you couldn't have found _any_ way more subtle to deal with the threat? Valiant was yelling to the world like the imbecile he was that he hadn't told the snakes to come out. Who did you _think_ I suspected of doing the magic, my lord?

You pulled a sword out of a _rock_ in front of dozens of your townspeople, sire. _Why_ do you insist on flaunting it everywhere?

Do you know how hard it is to come up with reasons to explain your _blatant_ and _continued_ use of magic in front of _literally everyone_? When we are attacked and overwhelmed, tree branches just _happen_ to come crashing down, only on our enemies?

Bandits who know the woods like the back of their own hands suddenly trip when they run down the hill in attacks _they_ chose the location of and don't get back up? And that's supposed to be _subtle_? You expected that your _First Knight_ wouldn't notice that _dozens_ of our attackers just _trip_ and knock themselves out for the rest of the battle _every single_ time we are attacked?

You think I don't notice that Merlin brings back sopping wet firewood and somehow still manages to light it? You think I haven't noticed that arrows will _change direction midair_ and re-route to the bandit that shot it? _Sire_ , a little respect, please.

I am the First Knight of Camelot, and you honestly think I noticed _none_ of it? And then, to top it all off, you _demand_ I proclaim you have magic to the court after _so long_ of protecting you from it?"

"Wait, hold on," the Sergeant of the Guard said before Arthur could speak.

The entire court turned to face him, but he didn't seem to notice as he stared at Leon in complete and utter bewilderment.

"Why didn't you tell us to keep our mouth shut about the king as well?"

"What?" Leon asked, completely derailed from what he had planned to say in his continued rant to the king, and he instead turned his undivided, befuddled, attention on Boris instead. "I _personally_ insinuated to every single guard who has ever worked in this castle for the past ten years that if they reported Arthur to his father or the court, they would have to deal with me personally. How could you think I didn't tell you?"

"You didn't insinuate that, sir, you threatened that outright," Boris corrected. "But you warned us not tell anyone about _Merlin_ , this is the first I've heard about protecting _the king_ from such rumors."

"How could you have possibly thought I meant _Merlin_?” Leon demanded, completely dumbfounded by the miscommunication.

"With all due respect, sir knight, how could we not?" the Sergeant of the Guard asked. "You told us that if we mistakenly believed we saw magic in the prince’s vicinity that we were to keep our mouths shut and think about how any magic we might _think_ we saw was always expended in an effort to protect Camelot and our prince, and we were to spend the rest of the night contemplating what would happen to our kingdom if we removed the source of the continued protection of the crown and of who was our prince, now our king."

"How was that not clear?" Leon demanded. "Do you know who is always in Arthur's vicinity? Arthur!"

"Begging your pardon, sir, but so is Merlin, and _he's_ the one that is so blatant about his magic that every single guard who has ever served this castle has caught him at it.

We were the ones that told the servants, not that most them hadn't already noticed, the boy is a disaster. You told us we were personally responsible for protecting the magic user who was using magic to save the prince, so we warned the servants there would be hell to pay for anyone who turned him in.

How could you possibly not have noticed him at it, Sir Leon? He does magic everywhere! Without a thought of consequences, he cleaned a _stain_ from the king's shirt in the middle of the hallway while it was full of servants and guards running to prepare a banquet for god’s sake!"

"Wait, so it's been _Merlin_ who has been using magic at least once a week for the past decade?" Leon asked, stunned by the turn of events.

"Yes, Sir Leon," Boris nodded, the guards behind him nodding their agreement, “and he was the one that defeated the immortal army."

Leon stared at him. He had always thought it had been Arthur.

"And he's the one who fixed whatever it was that was wrong with Princess Elena," another guard piped up from behind the Sergeant, the rest of the dozen guards around the room nodding along.

"He saved the castle from Cedric," Thomas said, and the guard next to him added, "He also healed a lot of people when we had that plague that one time."

Leon stared at them, then slowly turned back to his king, feeling his frustration flare even further.

"Arthur," he said, forgetting his deference in light of his growing anger. "You're telling me that you don't have magic?"

Arthur's expression went from shocked and confused to offended in less than a second.

"No, I don't have magic!" he told Leon, nearly yelling in his own frustration.

"And you didn't know Merlin had magic?" Leon asked in a deadly calm that Arthur would have recognized if he weren't so caught up in his own outrage.

"No, I bloody well didn't know that!" Arthur all but screamed, throwing an angry arm out toward the petrified servant without breaking eye contact with Leon.

Leon's eyes narrowed.

"So, you're telling me that you do not have any magical means of protecting people, and you were not aware of Merlin's ability to defend himself, and you let him ride out with us for the past decade! Sire, what the bloody hell have you been thinking?

I excused it because I thought you were assured that you could protect him from across a battlefield if the need arose, but you can't! You have dragged an untrained _servant_ out of the safety of the castle walls _hundreds_ of times, Arthur! What the hell were you thinking?

Do you know how many times he could have died? Do you remember the sheer number of dangerous situations we have been in outside of this castle? Sometimes even within it! You sent Merlin and Lancelot into a castle infested with an _unbeatable immortal army_ , and you had no assurance for his safety beyond the fact that he carried a sword he isn't trained to use?"

"I sent them to guard the alarm bell!" Arthur protested.

"The alarm bell that they would have to get through the _entire castle_ to defend!" Leon shot back angrily.

"Well, there's nothing to say he didn't find a noble's chambers and hide in it, because as you recall, they failed to stop them from raising the alarm!" Arthur argued, temper rising, but Leon was too frustrated to keep his own in check.

"Weren't you listening?" he demanded, jabbing an angry finger at the guards. "He didn't defend the bell because he got sidetracked saving all of our lives and _single handedly defeating the army_!"

"We don't actually know-," Arthur refuted before Leon cut him off with a sharp shake of his head.

"Yes, we do know that," he said, eyes boring into Arthur's. "How else do you explain them disappearing in a cloud of dust, _sire_? I always thought it was something you had done and you were sending Merlin elsewhere for his own safety, but no! No, you drag your untrained servant into dangerous situations with no regard for his safety and welfare!"

"Yeah!" Gwaine added indignantly, speaking up as he took a step toward the arguing pair, unbothered that he had obviously interrupted Arthur as the king opened his mouth to respond. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Princess. At first I thought it was just because we got caught unawares, but no! You deliberately bring Merlin with us, even when we're knowingly riding into battle, and you haven't made him chainmail or armor of any kind!"

"What?" Arthur demanded, sounding equal parts offended and confused. "You're yelling at me about _armor_? **_Now_**? What does it matter, anyway? If he wanted armor, he could get some, I'm not stopping him!"

"He is a _peasant_ , Arthur!" Gwaine yelled back, equally as frustrated. "Do you know how much chainmail costs? How is he supposed to afford that? Arthur, if you're going to constantly drag him into dangerous situations, _you_ have to get it for him!"

Arthur spluttered at him in wordless offense that he was being scolded about Merlin's clothing choices in front of the court when _Merlin_ had just done _magic_.

"You could at least provide him a weapon," Percival said in a tone of gentle reproof and a slight shrug.

Arthur's mouth dropped open as he stared at Percival in disbelief.

"Can we get back to the thing that started all of this?" he demanded when he found his voice. " _Mer_ lin has _magic_!"

"Yeah," Gwaine said, significantly calmer than before, now more confused than anything, and he turned to look at Leon. "What's that all about? I always thought _you_ were the one who had magic."

Elyan and Percival nodded their agreement, looking at Leon in confusion, and both he and Arthur stared at them in open mouthed shock.

"Wait," Elyan said, brow furrowed in confusion, "so Leon _doesn't_ have magic, it's just Merlin and Arthur?"

"I mean, I guess?” Gwaine shrugged, exchanging confused looks with Percival and Elyan.

“No, I don’t!” Arthur exploded. “I do _not_ have magic, apparently my _traitor_ of a manservant does!”

“Huh,” Gwaine said, consideringly, unbothered by Arthur’s display of temper. He turned to Leon, brow furrowed. “So, just so I’m completely clear on all of this, Leon, you _don’t_ have magic?”

Leon shook his head in shocked silence.

“And you don’t have magic,” Gwaine said, double checking as he pointed at Arthur.

“No!”

Gwaine nodded his acceptance and turned to Merlin.

“And you _do_ have magic,” he said, looking at Merlin with what appeared to be great concentration as he tried to understand the situation.

Merlin stared at him with wide, terrified eyes, but nodded mutely.

“Oh, ok,” Gwaine said with a bright grin, turning back to Leon and Arthur. “Ok, I’ve got it straight now, you can continue,” he allowed graciously as the entire court stared at him disbelievingly.

There was silence as everyone continued to stare at him.

“Well, go on,” he flapped a hand at them both when the silence continued.

“Why in the world would you think _I_ had magic?” Leon asked, sounding appalled.

“I don’t know,” Gwaine shrugged, exchanging a look with Elyan and Percival before he turned back to Leon. “It just... you’ve been here the longest, and from what it sound like in the stories the magical protection has been going on long before any of us showed up.

I mean, you guys rode out to slay a _dragon_ , returned _victorious_ and there was _no body_ , and we weren’t supposed to assume magic? I thought we were all just being polite about it when the stories were told since there’s laws and whatnot.

You three were the only ones of our crew on the dragon trip, and you’re so... noble and knightly, it seemed like the kind of thing you’d do. Protect the prince, save his life, and then let him come home the hero.

And we all would do anything to protect Arthur, but -second only to Merlin, now that I think about it- you take it to a whole different level. I can see you learning magic to make sure you can protect him if you’re too far away to use your sword.

And, I mean -, wait! So it _wasn’t_ you that saved Arthur from the ‘always fatal’ questing beast? I always thought it was you from the stories. I’ve been around the block, you don’t think I believed that baloney that he just _got better_ from a questing beast bite, do you? I know full well those are always fatal unless some serious magical intervention comes into play.”

"How _did_ you heal from the beast's bite, sire?" Leon asked, both he and Gwaine turning to look at Arthur as they waited for an answer.

Arthur stared at them in angry confusion.

"I don't know!" he told them, his tone angry and frustrated that they had once again been dragged off the main topic of his traitor of a best frie-, manservant, his traitor of a manservant having magic. "I came back to Camelot, had a rough few nights, and then I got better. I don't _die_ from a wound to the shoulder."

"You should have," Gwaine told him bluntly, studying his face. After a moment he turned to Merlin.

"So it was you?" he asked, his voice noticeably warmer and calmer, addressing his friend as though he were a scared animal that could bolt at any moment.

As Leon turned his attention to the servant in question, he found the tone was probably not unwarranted. Merlin still looked absolutely terrified, his eyes wide and frantic, his face pale and scared.

He gave a silent nod, and Gwaine nodded back with a smile.

"You had to use your magic to save him, didn't you?" Gwaine asked, his tone friendly and inviting, and Merlin gave another hesitant nod.

"Ah," Gwaine said to himself, turning back to Arthur. "That's the answer, then. Merlin saved you."

Arthur breathed sharply and clenched his mouth shut, turning to Merlin as his expression darkened.

"Since the questing beast?" he asked, his voice low and furious, and Merlin looked rooted to the spot in his terror, but gave a jerky nod of confirmation.

Arthur took a threatening step forward, so focused on Merlin that he didn't seem to notice Gwaine edging subtly between them.

"So this isn't new, you've had it since the questing beast. That was the first year you came to Camelot," Arthur noted in that same dangerous tone. "You've had magic this whole time? You've been betraying me this WHOLE TIME!"

Merlin shook his head frantically, but seemed unable to speak in his own defense as Arthur took another step forward with a menacing glare.

"My father always warned me it could be anyone, but I never dreamed it could be _you_ ," he spat, and Merlin flinched back, tears filling his eyes as he continued to shake his head in denial. "I can't believe I _trusted_ you and -,"

“Ok, wait,” Gwaine said, holding up a hand and looking at Arthur in confusion. “Hold up, I’m lost again. Ok, just for clarification, let me get this straight.

Merlin,” Gwaine said, pointing at the devastated manservant, “has been protecting you and the kingdom for _years_ and you’re ... mad about it?

Arthur, do you realize that protecting you and the kingdom is also the sole purpose of your knights? You seem to like it well enough when we do it.”

Arthur stared at him in disbelief.

“He is using _magic_!” Arthur shouted furiously.

Gwaine stared at him with a deeply puzzled expression.

“So you’re mad because he’s better at protecting you than your knights are?” Gwaine asked in what sounded like honest confusion. “Because I have to say, Arthur, that seems like an us problem more than a Merlin problem.”

“MAGIC - IS - **_ILLEGAL_** ” Arthur roared, his frustration pushed still higher when Gwaine just cocked his head in confusion.

“I mean...” Gwaine started, glancing at the other knights before continuing, “I know we say it’s against the law and everything, but I haven’t actually been able to find that written anywhere.

And, at the risk of sounding like,” his face twisted in disgust, “a _scholar_ I have to confess I’ve been looking. I was trying to find a loop hole to use when Leon got himself caught doing his beyond obvious displays of magic, but I can’t actually find a single law that says it is illegal.

I’ve found lots and _lots_ and **_lots_** of court transcriptions that end with Uther sentencing someone to death for the crime of sorcery, but there hasn’t ever been a single reference to where that law is written. Like, is it all sorcery?

Do potions and sigils count if you don’t have to have magic to use them? What about rune carvers? You don’t need any magic to carve those.

How did you get the magic constraining cuffs in the dungeons? Did Uther have someone make them and then kill them for sorcery?

What about the kind of magic? Is _healing_ magic punishable by _death_? Really? It seems a little counter intuitive, doesn’t it? What about if you just want to make crops grow, or make a light if your torch goes out?

What about the history books that are _full_ of scorched out passages that once contained tales of a magicians’ helpfulness?

Anyway," Gwaine shook his head and refocused himself, "back to the point. I can’t find this alleged law that everyone likes to kill people over, can you show it to me?”

There was complete silence in the room as he looked expectantly at Arthur who stared back at him in shock.

“Gwaine!” Arthur exploded.

“Yes?” Gwaine asked patiently.

“Gwaine!” Arthur repeated, just as angrily.

“Ok,” Gwaine nodded his understanding, “you don’t know exactly where it is off the top of your head, we’ll come back to that.

Next order of business, don’t you think we should ask Merlin _why_ he learned magic before we get into all the 'I hate you, I’ve been betrayed' nonsense?”

Arthur glared at him, simmering with rage, but when he didn't respond Gwaine took a step forward, the slight frustration falling away from his tone to be replaced with a simple plea to be understood.

"Arthur," he said softly, watching the king with a slightly more sympathetic expression. "Come on, Arthur, think about it. I know you've been told magic is evil since you were old enough to understand words, but _think_ about it.

How could Merlin _ever_ be evil?"

Gwaine let the question hang in the air as he took another step closer.

"Arthur," he said seriously, "you _know_ Merlin. You do, you know you do. You'd never admit it to us, or -, hell, you'd probably never admit it to another living soul, but you know Merlin better than you know anyone in the world. You know he would do anything for you, you _know_ he would die for you, he's even tried his best to do it a few times.

Do you remember when you pulled us aside and told us to come to you directly without involving Merlin if we suspected something was poisoned, because that absolute idiot has already proven he's ready and willing to drink it if it means you won't have to?"

Some of the anger faded from Arthur's expression, and Gwaine stepped forward again as he continued to make his case.

"Do you remember the Dorocha?" he asked, his voice rough from the emotions the memory brought surging to the surface. "Do you remember how he saved you? How he truly thought he would die to save you, and then he recovered and ran right back to your side so he could try to sacrifice himself again?

Arthur, Merlin has been by your side for a decade, don't you think that if he were plotting to betray you, he would have done it by now?

What could he possibly stand to gain from whatever this long-lived plot would be? He became your manservant by accident, _saving your life_ , and it's hardly as if being in your favor has granted him a life of luxury.

He has shown absolutely no desire to try to steal your throne, in fact, he's worked quite hard to keep you on it on more than one occasion. Being your servant does not grant him any more gold or riches than any other personal servant of nobility, so it's not as if he is after you for your gold, and besides all that, what would he even spend it on? He has two shirts and one jacket, the most expensive item he owns is the medical bag he bought so that he could treat _us_ when we inevitably run into trouble on patrols.

He has served you in this castle, he has rode out with you against bandits, Morgana, and dragons, and he has never failed you. Never, Arthur.

Don't you think that at least earns him the right to explain himself before you break his heart?"

Arthur stared at Gwaine's pleading expression for several long moments before he turned to his servant and grit out, "Fine, explain," in an angry, terse tone.

Merlin sniffed and swallowed hard, trying to shove down the tears flooding his eyes.

"I didn't mean to," he said desperately, his words tripping over one another in his desperation to plead his defense. "Arthur, I didn't mean to, I never meant to. I never learned, I've never studied, it just _happens_."

He swallowed hard, but his tears escaped anyway, streaking down his cheeks, and Arthur softened slightly at the sight.

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I never wanted it, I was born with it! I was born with magic, I've been able to do magic since the day I was born. My mother told me I summoned a blanket hours after my birth. I can't stop it, it's like breathing. I've tried to stop, I've tried so hard to stop, but when I don't use it at all it builds up and comes exploding out in ways I can't control.

When I was five winters old my mother and I almost starved to death, and my magic made a fruit tree grow apples in the dead of winter. I tried to stop when I was seven and I accidentally felled a tree because I was angry. When I was nine I healed the village ox, when I was eleven I stopped a girl falling off a cliff with a thought, it just _happens_.

I was born with it, Arthur, I never learned, I never studied, I promise! I was _born_ this way. I never meant to lie to you, but how could I tell you? _When_ could I tell you?

We hardly knew each other when I started working for you, and we were decidedly not friends. I couldn't tell you while your father was alive, how could I make you choose between me and your father? How unfair would that be? I would never put you in that position, you know that.

By the time you were king, it was too late. How could I tell you without it feeling like a betrayal? How could I risk the friendship most important to me over the desire to tell you my secret?"

Merlin swallowed and tried to brush the tears off his cheeks, but more immediately replaced them, so he turned his attention back to Arthur instead with a pleading look.

"Please, Arthur," he whispered. "Please tell me you know I would never betray you."

Arthur clenched his jaw and studied his crying servant.

"You've been using your magic to save us?" Arthur asked instead of answering Merlin's heartbroken plea.

Merlin nodded, a few more tears running down his cheeks.

" _Why_?" Arthur asked.

Merlin tried to quirk a wry grin, but the effect was ruined by the tearstains on his cheeks and how quickly his expression fell back into the previous beseeching desperation.

"Because as much as I really didn’t want to," Merlin explained, "I accidentally befriended the biggest prat in the kingdom and you almost die every other day."

Arthur studied him in silence for another long moment.

“How can magic be good?” he asked eventually.

Merlin’s eyes flared gold, and suddenly thick green grass grew beneath their feet and flowers flowed down the walls in resplendent waves, draping gracefully from the ceiling.

Breathtakingly beautiful butterflies sprang into existence, fluttering around the room, and everyone in the throne room had the sudden feeling as if they had stepped into a sunbeam, warm and bright and wonderful.

Flecks of light filled the air, giving the room an ethereal glow, and cheerful, lilting birdsong flowed through the room around them.

Merlin looked back at his king, eyes pleading as they faded back to blue.

“How could it not?” he asked in a whisper.

Arthur stared him in contemplative silence for several long minutes.

“Ok, fine, but you have to fix my throne room,” Arthur said eventually.

Merlin’s relieved smile grew wider and wider until it practically glowed, and his shoulders slumped in relief.

“But I quite like it this way,” he argued in a light, bantering tone that was at odds with the still shining tear tracks on his cheeks.

Arthur scowled at him in his usual fond disapproval.

"If doesn’t matter what you like, _Mer_ lin!" Arthur told his manservant indignantly. "It’s _my_ throne room!"

"I’m in it just as much as you are!” Merlin protested, crossing his arms defiantly as Arthur stared at him in disbelief.

"You will be in the stocks if you don’t fix it!" Arthur threatened, flapping a hand toward the window to the courtyard and only narrowly avoiding a bright blue butterfly that fluttered nearby.

"It is rather nice," Lady Catelyn offered from the crowd.

Arthur gaped at her, but Merlin sent his wide, beaming smile her way.

"Thank you, Lady Catelyn," he chirped brightly, then turned back to Arthur.

"See, Arthur?" he asked with a tone of pointing out the obvious. "Lady Catelyn likes it, that's two against one," and nodded to himself, apparently confident he had just won the argument.

Arthur's mouth fell open even further.

"I do like it as well," Lady Isobel added, and both Merlin and Lady Catelyn turned to smile at her.

Leon watched in vaguely disbelieving amusement as Sir Aldric, who had been besotted with Lady Isobel ever since she had arrived three days ago, immediately nodded emphatically and added, "I also think it looks marvelous."

Isobel turned her bright smile from Catelyn and Merlin to Sir Aldric, and the man looked as though all his dreams had come true.

Leon closed his eyes and shook his head in defeat at Aldric's antics, then chuckled when the hall was filled of murmurs of agreement from the rest of the crowd.

Leon turned his gaze back to the astonished Arthur who was still staring at his servant, who looked quite pleased with himself.

" _Mer_ lin!" Arthur eventually scolded when he found his voice again.

"Yes?" Merlin asked, bouncing slightly on his toes as he clasped his hands behind his back in a subtle parody of a servant's respect.

" _Mer_ lin!" Arthur repeated, louder, and Merlin's smile grew wider.

"Yes, sire?" he asked innocently. "Can I help you with something?"

"Fix my bloody throne room!" Arthur demanded.

"Didn't you hear?" Merlin asked, cocking his head as he studied Arthur's face. "We took a vote, everyone else wants it to stay."

Arthur spluttered wordlessly for a moment before he managed to push out the words, "I am the king!" in indignant outrage.

Merlin nodded, pretending not to connect the statement to the previous.

"True," he allowed, then paused for a long moment before asking, "... and?"

Arthur stared at him in disbelief, but the corners of his lips twitched upward at his servant's audacity.

"And that means _I make the rules_!" he informed his impertinent manservant, who didn't seem convinced.

Merlin's lips twisted as he contemplated that, and Arthur took a step toward him, unable to completely erase his growing amusement from his face.

"No," he commanded, slapping Merlin lightly upside the back of his head. "No, _Mer_ lin. I am the king, and it is _my_ throne room, and I say _fix it_. I can't very well have butterflies flying around when hearing envoys from visiting kings, now can I?"

Merlin opened his mouth to dispute, but closed it again at the glare Arthur leveled at him.

"Fine," Merlin relented with a put upon sigh, surveying the throne room before his eyes glowed gold again.

The grass sank back into the stone, the flowers climbed up to the ceiling and disappeared, and the lights faded out of existence. The butterflies, though, spread throughout the room until they hovered over each person in the hall.

As one, they floated downward, spinning slightly as their shape shifted into a beautiful flower that gently placed itself in ladies' hair and on men's collars.

Leon chuckled fondly as he took in the excited nobles, servants, and guards alike all plucking their flower from where Merlin had placed it and bringing it closer to their faces to study the wide variety of blooms he had created.

Leon tried to stifle the full blown laughter that tried to escape as he noticed that Merlin had woven more than a dozen different kinds of flowers around Arthur's crown without him noticing, so the original gold and jewels were hardly visible under the bursts of colorful petals and bright leaves.

Arthur rolled his eyes in exasperation, but shook his head fondly at his servant.

"Well," he announced loudly, securing the attention of everyone in the hall. "We will continue this discussion tomorrow, for now, this court is adjourned."

He cuffed Merlin on the shoulder and nodded his head toward the door, gesturing for Merlin to leave with him, and Leon fell into step behind the pair as they exited the throne room.

"Really, Merlin?" Arthur asked, a playful scowl on his face. "You made one for everyone but me? That's a bit petty, don't you think?"

Merlin's eyes flicked up to Arthur's flower-covered head, then to the servants in the hall staring at their king in open confusion, and squashed a smile before he turned back to Arthur.

"What?" he asked indignantly. "So now you _do_ want flowers? Could you please make up your mind, sire? This is getting a bit ridiculous."

Arthur rolled his eyes dramatically, turning the corner without noticing another hallway full of servants staring at him and looking baffled by his flower crown.

"You're ridiculous," he told Merlin fondly.

"I'm ridiculous?" Merlin parroted back, deeply offended, and Leon turned right instead of following them further. " _You're_ the ridiculous one!" Merlin continued arguing, his voice growing fainter as Leon made his way to the armory to finish the weapons inventory. "I don't want flowers, Merlin! No wait, actually, I do, how dare you not get them for me! _You're_ ridiculous!" Leon barely made out before their bickering faded away completely.

He rolled his eyes to himself, how could they not see the obvious fact in front of them?

Leon may not have known the truth of who had been using magic for the past decade to protect the throne, but he did know the absolute truth that defined the kingdom of Camelot.

Both the king and his servant were completely and utterly ridiculous, and that he _could_ prove.

**Author's Note:**

> I've officially completed my first Merlin story! Thank you for reading, I'd *love* to hear what you think!!
> 
> As a side note, if you're looking for more things to read, my baby sister wrote some great White Collar and Merlin stories, [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summer_Meadows/pseuds/Summer_Meadows/works)!


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